The Nightmare Escapees
by Memiz
Summary: After a successful escape from their creator, a rebellious demon beast and an infant demon beast accidently end up at a base of their creator's enemy. Will they be able to join the freedom fighting army and do the opposite of what they were created for? A try for fun on Meta Knight's as well as Kirby's mysterious past. First story, summary and title suck.
1. Prologue: The Escape

**Author's note:**** My first story to be uploaded here on FF. I have uploaded it on my DeviantArt-page too, but I think I will submit the rest here. I want you to know that English is not my first language and I´m still learning the language and the art of writing. So please don´t flame me for my bad grammatical skills. **

**Yes, this is another story about Meta Knight's mysterious past. I have read lots of those stories and thought that maybe I could try writing my own version of it. This is mostly written just for fun and to experiment with different theories. You will surely see many characters from Hoshi no Kaabii/Kirby of the Stars/Kirby: Right back at ya such as Sir Arthur, Sir Falspar, Sir Dragato, Sir Nonsurat, Knuckle Joe's dad/Jecra, Yamikage, Dokonyo and more. I´m planning to include Galacta Knight from the games too. There will be some OC's, but they will probably not play a big part of the story. This story is mainly about Meta Knight after all. **

**Disclaimer:**** I don´t own anything except maybe this story, I guess.**

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**~ Th****e Nightmare Escapees ~**

**Prologue**

The sounds of his metal shoes against the hard floor echoed against the cold walls, barely drowning the sounds of the monsters chasing him somewhere behind. His ragged breath and his violently beating heart were almost the only thing he could hear though; having to run and fight alone against hundreds of monsters had tired him out completely. But he refused to stop. He refused to let them catch him. If they caught him, the whole galaxy was lost.

The bundle in his arms was the last hope for the galaxy; a little baby. A pink baby batamon slept blissfully in his arms despite all the chaos and noise around it. The baby snuggled into the cloth around it, which was a part of its carrier's blue cape that he had ripped off and wrapped around the little baby to keep it warm. The golden eyes that shone from behind carrier's metal mask drifted to the sleeping baby in his arms for a moment before he concentrated on keeping moving forward again.

At last he reached his destination; the spacecraft hangar. He leapt inside the gigantic room and slammed his hand against the "close"-button. As the door behind him closed, he held the baby with his left hand and unsheathed his sword with his right hand, then drove the silver blade into the same button he just hit. Sparks flied out as he withdrew the sword and sheathed it again. _That should keep our followers busy for a short time_, he thought.

He barely managed to dodge as a monster swiped at him. The hangar was also filled with different monsters. Mainly monsters that could work with machines and vehicles, but even other monsters were there in case something would happen. Something like this, for example. He barely managed to dodge all the attacks thrown his way as he sprinted through the hangar in search for a certain ship. Some of the attacks managed to hit him though; his armor became scratched and his cape more ripped than it already was – a monster's claws even managed to scratch him on his head where his metal mask didn't cover up and the wounds immediately started to bleed – but he didn't care. As long as the baby he carried where unharmed, he could deal with all the damage that was caused to him. Soon he found what he was looking for: A small, star-shaped, silver colored spaceship. He quickly hoped into the driver seat and soon got the small vehicle going. Holding the baby in a firm grip, he accelerated and flew out of the hangar in high speed, flying higher and higher into the sky.

He let out sigh in relief. He had never thought he would actually manage to get out of the base. But a laser shot barely missing the spaceship brought away the feeling of the relief. Numerous spaceships and flying monsters were in hot pursuit behind them, determined to bring them down. Failing here could mean death for the monsters, and most of them knew it. But soon the silver spaceship left the atmosphere of the planet and forced some monsters to stop their pursuit. Though even if some followers had stopped, he knew he couldn´t take them all on. He wasn´t sure what they wanted to do with him and the baby when they caught them. Were they going to kill them, or at least him for going against his master... no, former master? The still sleeping baby hadn´t chosen this, it was all his decision. Would they keep it and raise the baby as planned? He didn´t know and didn´t wanted to find out.

He ran through all his options to get away. There wasn´t many. But at last he thought of something that could work – Warp speed. None of the other spacecrafts of his former master's army had such functionality. They were not meant to mimic their enemies' spacecrafts like this spacecraft after all, and the enemies' spacecrafts often had such functionality. He quickly typed in the commando before he curled himself as much as he could around the baby to shield it from any damage that could occur. The little spacecraft suddenly shot off into the deep space and left its pursuer behind. He didn´t know for how long they warp-speeded, but he wasn´t ready for it when it suddenly came to a stop. The sudden stop knocked him out of balance and made him fall forward, slamming his masked forehead against the control panel. Then everything went black.

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**Author's Note:**** Well, that was the prologue. Does it seem interesting enough? I will try to upload the first chapter soon. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Destructive criticism is only a waste of your time.**


	2. Chapter 1: His name is Kirby

**Author's note: Here´s the first chapter. I hope it´s not too confusing. Again, I am still learning English so please excuse me if I make any grammatical errors. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don´t own any of the characters except Doctor Dee and planet Yunglea. **

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**Chapter 1: His name is Kirby**

"_MK-13, your training is coming to an end. You are soon ready for your mission" the dark entity said as it looked down at the blue batamon kneeling in front of him. "I trust you already know the mission's content." The blue batamon nodded._

"_Yes, master. I am to infiltrate the Galaxy Soldier Army, gain their trust and murder their leader; Sir Arthur. I will try to make it look like I am innocent so I can stay in the army and kill them one after one" the batamon said, before its red eyes looked up to stare right back into its master's own red eyes. Few of the entity's creation dared to do such a thing. But this creation was not like the others._

"_Good. Do not fail me."_

"Hey! Wake up! Are you okay?!" someone shouted in his ear. A small groan escaped him and he wanted to cover his ears to shut out the loud voice. But when he tried to raise his arms he noticed that he couldn't. His whole body ached and he could barely move at all. His mind ached too. What had happened? Where was he? His eyes were closed and he felt that he was lying on his back, but that was all he could comprehend. He had no idea who was shouting at him either.

He felt someone grabbing his shoulder plates and shaking him rather violently in a try to wake him up.

"Is he dead?" he heard a new voice say somewhere on the opposite of the one who yelled at him and probably shook him. How many were they? What did they want? He just wanted them to leave him alone, or ease the pain in his body at least.

"No, I can see that he's breathing and I have checked his pulse too. But he's quite badly injured. He needs help immediately! Quick, run back to the base and get some people to help. Take the little one with you, it seems okay but we need to check on it still" another new voice said. He heard someone quickly departing. What did they say? Who was 'the little one'? He struggled to think but his mind refused to work for him.

Soon he heard footsteps coming towards him; more than one pair of feet but his numb mind couldn't give him a good answer to how many they were. He felt himself being lifted onto something, and he couldn't suppress another grunt in pain as he was moved. More new voices were heard around him but nothing of what they said could be registered. He felt himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness again.

"Will he survive?"

"With enough rest and without too much strain, he will be fine soon." He barely managed to understand what they were saying. Were they talking about him? Where was he now? He let out a small groan. It still hurt to think.

"I think he's waking up!" He slowly opened his eyes, and immediately closed them again. The bright light hurt his eyes and his head started to throb, but he gathered himself and tried again. Slowly he opened his eyes again. Everything was a blur at first. But soon things started to stop blending together and his sight became clear. He was lying in a simple bed, but the white curtain around the bed made him unable to see more of his surroundings. The next thing he saw was the two creatures standing on each side of him. One was a batamon like himself, with purple skin and brown shoes. He was wearing armor and two lavender eyes shone behind his mask. The other creature was similar to a batamon, but its eyes and its body shape were somewhat different. It wore a white lab coat and a white headband with a red cross on it. It had no mouth. So it wasn´t one of the ones he had heard talking?

"Easy there" the purple batamon said as he sat up. He noticed that the only thing he was still wearing was his cape. His mask, shoulder plates, metal shoes and sword were nowhere in sight.

"Wh… Where am I?" he forced out. He felt strangely exposed without his armor, especially without his mask.

"You are in the medical section of the GSA-base on planet Yunglea. You crashed near our base and were in a very bad shape, so we took you here and treated you. As for your armor and weapon, they are being mended as we speak. Do you remember what happened before you crashed?" the purple one asked. He thought as much as he could despite his throbbing head.

"I… I was being chased by monsters, but I used warp speed to get away from them. Then I don't remember what happened…" he said then went silent. He felt like he had forgotten something. Something of great importance. What was it?

"I believe you hit your head very hard somewhere during your flight. Maybe when spaceship stopped after the warp speed, it is easy to happen then if one is not properly secured" the other one said, which apparently was able to talk despite the lack of mouth. "You might have a concussion. So it is not surprising if your memory is foggy. It should become better soon enough, though."

It made sense. And maybe that was why his head hurt so much? His hand slowly lifted and landed on his forehead, where he could feel a bandage. He looked himself over and saw that he was wrapped up in more bandages.

"What´s your name?" the purple one asked. He thought for a moment.

"M… Meta Knight" he said at last. The batamon-like one looked quizzical at the unusual name, but what the purple one thought was difficult to tell because of the mask.

"I am Sir Dragato of the Galaxy Soldier Army. This is the head doctor of the medical section in this base, Doctor Dee" Dragato said and gestured to Doctor Dee. The doctor nodded in affirmation.

Meta Knight froze in shock, but fortunately the other two seemed to take it as it was because of pain. The Galaxy Soldier Army? He had managed to get inside a base of his former master's greatest enemy? He was grateful he still was wearing his cape. They probably had not been able to take it off. It made him fear that it caused them to be suspicious. There had to be a reason to why they couldn´t take off his cape after all. If they found out, then he would be slaughtered without a second thought! Instinctively his body prepared for fight or flight, but Meta Knight forced himself to calm down before they would notice his sudden tenseness. Despite that he had turned against his creator and former master, he had been taught to hate the Galaxy Soldier Army during his whole existence. He had become _created_ to hate them. The clearer his head became, the more he felt of his "natural" hate for them.

"You are lucky to be alive, not many survive such a crash landing. I´m amazed that the little one was almost unharmed. You must have protected him even while you were unconscious" the doctor said, with a hint of awe in his voice, and brought Meta Knight back to the present. That´s when Meta Knight remembered what he had forgotten and a wave of panic rushed through him for a second. It also made him forget about the hate he had just felt.

"Where is he?" Meta Knight said with worry. Even if Doctor Dee had said that the baby was okay, it didn't calm him. He needed to see it himself. The doctor raised his hands in a calming gesture.

"As I said, the baby was almost unharmed. It just had a few scratches and bruises, but they will heal very soon" Doctor Dee said calmly. Meta Knight leaned back and let out a deep sigh. What if the baby had died in the crash? All hope would have been lost. He still didn't feel completely calm despite the doctor's calming words though. "If it would make anything better, we can bring the baby here" the doctor continued as he noticed that his patient didn't seem satisfied. Meta Knight nodded. At that Doctor Dee disappeared behind the white curtains surrounding Meta Knight's bed, but returned soon again, now holding a bundle in his arms.

"It´s sleeping…" the doctor said before he carefully gave the baby to Meta Knight, who with greatest care took the baby and cradled it in his arms. The baby was indeed sleeping. From what he could see, the baby was unharmed except for a bruise here and there. He was so grateful it wasn´t worse.

"Cute son you have" Dragato said, the voice indicating a smile under the mask. Meta Knight looked confusedly at him for a few seconds before he actually registered what Dragato just had said.

"What?" Meta Knight uttered before he looked down at the sleeping baby again. For a second, and for a reason he neither could explain nor understand himself, he wanted to say that this baby was his son. He quickly decided against it. _I should not get attached to this baby. That bond could be used against us. I cannot afford that…,_ he thought.

"He… is not my son. I found him when I escaped from the monsters. I felt that I couldn't just leave the baby to die" Meta Knight said at last. It was not completely a lie.

"Ah… He was lucky that you came by and found him then" Dragato answered thoughtfully. His lavender eyes landed on the baby, who was still sleeping peacefully and now snuggled himself closer to Meta Knight. "Does he have a name?"

Meta Knight studied the baby's peaceful face while he thought. A name? He hadn´t had time to think of a name for him yet. Or rather a new and better name, as the baby was already given a name that Meta Knight refused to use. A faint smile sneaked its way onto his lips.

"Kirby. His name is Kirby."


	3. Chapter 2: I will protect you

**Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone for the support! I have gotten some reviews and followers on this story already… It makes me very happy and really motivates me! It might take a little time before the next chapter comes. But I will try to finish it as soon as I can.**

**I would also like to mention one thing about Meta Knight. He is much younger and inexperienced at the moment, and he has yet to experience everything that comes with war. But I plan to make him slowly become that tough, cold and stoic old knight we all know and love. Just so you know.**

**Disclaimer: I don´t own anything except Doctor Dee and this story, I guess.**

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**Chapter 2: I will protect you**

"So what do you plan to do now?" Doctor Dee asked a few days later. Meta Knight's wounds were healing nicely and he had recovered enough to be free to go soon. A small bed had been moved next to Meta Knight's, where a peacefully sleeping Kirby lay between warm blankets, as the blue puffball had expressed such worry when the smaller pink puffball was out of his sight. His armor and weapon had been mended and were now resting on one of the two small tables next to his bed. His shredded cape had been fixed as well.

Meta Knight turned to the doctor, thinking of what to answer. What did he plan to do? He was not sure. He couldn´t go back to his former master: that was not even an option. He could take Kirby and travel the galaxy, but Meta Knight wasn´t sure if he would be able to protect Kirby from their enemies. They had to be a target for his former master now. It was only a matter of time before _he_ would try to get Meta Knight and Kirby back under his control.

"I… don´t know" Meta Knight answered at last and barely suppressed a sigh. Doctor Dee looked thoughtful for a few moments, seemingly eyeing Meta Knight and the sword resting on the table next to the bed.

"You look like a warrior... Perhaps you could join the army? We need every warrior we can find" the doctor suggested. Meta Knight became bewildered over the suggestion. Fight for the ones he was created to fight against? Could he really do that? A part of him really wanted that. He wanted to fight for good, for peace in the galaxy, for everything his former master was trying to destroy. But another part of him was skeptical of the whole idea. What if, in the heat of the battle, his natural hate and true nature would take over and he would attack the ones he had sworn to fight beside? And what if he was killed in battle? Who would take care of Kirby? He was almost certain that there was people who would be able to look after him and strong enough to protect him, but what if they learned of Kirby's origin? Then he would not be protected anymore. Kirby would most certainly get killed!

Doctor Dee had silently been observing Meta Knight as he thought, assuming that the patient was thinking through the suggestion.

"If it makes any differences, you will fight for the freedom and peace the little one will grow up with, hopefully. And not only this baby, but every child in the galaxy. We have people who can watch over him while you fight in the war, or if anything would happen to you. But I´m not saying you have to decide now. Just think about it" the doctor said softly and patted Meta Knight's shoulder. The blue puffball nodded to show that he would consider it, but his attention was soon drawn elsewhere.

With Meta Knight's permission, the white curtains around his bed had been drawn aside a few days ago so that he could see the rest of the big, sterile white room he was resting in. There was more beds lining the walls of the room, few of them holding other wounded soldiers and some beds had white curtains up around them, and the entrance to this area was in the opposite wall of his bed. There hadn´t been much activity either in this room or outside it, but now he could both see and hear people rush by the entrance. For a moment Meta Knight feared that they were under attack, but then he saw the calmness the doctor in front of him showed and became calm as well. Doctor Dee couldn´t have been this calm if they were under attack after all.

"What is all this commotion?" Meta Knight wondered and nodded towards the entrance.

"We are preparing for a visit of Sir Arthur, the great leader of the Galaxy Soldier Army" the doctor replied, "If it hadn´t been for him, that blasted Nightmare's forces would have taken over the galaxy long ago. He united all of us who valued freedom and is now doing all he can to win this war. You´re lucky you crashed here when you did, maybe you would be able to catch a glimpse of him. He will arrive tomorrow. And that´s when you´re allowed to get out of here." The great Sir Arthur, who had caused so much trouble for his former master, the wicked Nightmare, was coming to this very base? Meta Knight wasn´t sure if he should consider himself lucky or not. Could it be… fate? That he would crash here mere days before the leader of the freedom fighting army would arrive to the very same base?

"He will be holding a speech for here for all the soldiers, and then make plans with Sir Dragato for whatever they are going to do. They will probably discuss which enemy base they will attack next" the doctor continued with a shrug. But the mention of Sir Dragato didn´t go unheard by Meta Knight.

"Sir Dragato? It was the man who was here when I woke up, if I remember right?" he said thoughtfully and thought back to the day when he woke up in the same bed he was in now. Doctor Dee nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, that was Sir Dragato. He is the commander of this base, appointed by Sir Arthur himself" he said and gave another shrug, "Sir Dragato doesn´t usually visit the medical section like that, but for some reason he became interested when he heard that we have found you two crashed nearby. I cannot answer why he became interested. You woke up just a few minutes after he had come to see you so I never got the chance to ask him." Meta Knight pondered over this. What could have caused Sir Dragato to become interested? He would ask the commander himself as soon he had the opportunity.

"Well, it´s getting late and you need to rest up for tomorrow when you will get out of here" the doctor said and patted Meta Knight's shoulder, "I need to tend my other patients now. A nurse will give you and the little one food soon. Good night." With that said Doctor Dee turned away and soon disappeared from view, leaving Meta Knight alone with a sleeping baby by his side and his own thoughts. He glanced to the bed beside his own, where Kirby was slumbering peacefully. Completely oblivious of what was going on in the galaxy. Completely obvious of how important he actually was for his creator. Meta Knight was almost envious at the little baby, for being unaware of all the evil that was in working at the very moment. He let out a soft sigh and slowly shook his head. What was he actually doing here? Why was he going against his creator and former master, Nightmare? Oh, he knew why. It was because of _that_. _The_ _incident_ that caused him to really open his eyes and realize what Nightmare was doing was wrong. Of course it was wrong. Destroying planets, causing whole worlds to turn into barren wastelands, killing everyone and everything… He could barely believe that he was created to do just that. To kill… that was his purpose. Kirby's purpose as well. His hands gripped the sheets of the bed in a death grip and his eyes changed into a deep green color edged with a hint of red as his thoughts went on, but he didn´t even notice any of it. All he could think of was hate, a fierce hate against Nightmare. A part of him wondered why he, of all of Nightmare's creations, would turn against his creator when none of the others had not. He knew many of Nightmare's creations were more or less brainless and the only thing they knew of was to kill, but Meta Knight also knew that there were more intelligent monsters in Nightmare's army. He was one of them, after all.

Meta Knight's chain of thoughts was broken when a hand landed on his shoulder and shook it gently. He jerked and looked up, releasing the death grip on the sheets that he didn´t even know he had. A nurse, of a species he didn´t recognize, was standing next to his bed with a soft smile on her lips and a concerned look in her eyes. She had been startled to see Meta Knight's eyes glow green, tinted with red at the edges, as she remembered him having white eyes. His eyes returned to their usual bright white as he stopped thinking and directed his attention towards her.

"Are you okay, sir?" she asked softly. Meta Knight only nodded, and then noticed the tray she was holding in her hand. "Here is your and the baby's meal. Should I feed the baby?" she asked and nodded to the sleeping Kirby.

"No, I can do that… Thank you" Meta Knight answered absently as he eyed the food on the tray. There was a glass with water and a bowl with not-so-mouth-watering oatmeal, with a spoon in it to eat with of course, as well as a bottle of milk for Kirby. Meta Knight had been eating the same food since the day he first woke up in the medical section and was not thrilled to have another meal of the tasteless food, but he nevertheless accepted the tray from the nurse, who left as soon as her errand was done. Meta Knight slowly drank the water, feeling some sort of calmness as the water poured down his throat, but the oatmeal was quickly dealt with as he didn't want to have it in his mouth longer than needed. With his meal done with, he placed the tray on the table next to his bed that didn´t hold his armor and weapon, then slowly reached for the sleeping baby on the bed next to his.

Little Kirby was so soft and warm on his arms, snuggling close to reach the warmth of Meta Knight's embrace. Looking at the baby's peaceful face brought him a feeling of calmness and hope, but Meta Knight also felt something more inside him as he watched the baby batamon sleep. It was similar to the feeling he felt when Sir Dragato had inquired that Kirby was his son and he had debated with himself about what to answer. He just couldn´t place it. The baby suddenly stirred, and Meta Knight only stared as Kirby slowly opened his eyes for the very first time. Deep blue eyes stared right back into Meta Knight's own white eyes. Kirby had been far from finished when Meta Knight had taken him from the glass tube where he was being created and monitored, his body complete but the body and mind needed to grow in their own pace before he would be of any use for Nightmare. Kirby had only been sleeping and eating for as long as Meta Knight could remember, never opening his eyes even while he ate. This was the first time he had opened his eyes. Meta Knight became stunned for a few moments before he collected himself.

"Hello there, little one…" Meta Knight said softly, not wanting to scare Kirby. He could see that Kirby had some trouble with focusing his gaze on Meta Knight's face, but yet he felt that the baby was clearly aware of the bigger batamon's presence and struggled to keep his gaze on him. "I guess I have never really introduced myself. My name is Meta Knight." He knew that Kirby wouldn´t be able to understand him, but he still felt it was proper to introduce himself to the smaller batamon. He couldn´t hold back a chuckle as Kirby tilted his head to the side and let out a soft chirp that sounded like "poy". Meta Knight didn´t know for how long they sat there, looking at each other. He could feel that this baby was special, that this baby held strength bigger than his creator was even aware of. And not only because he had been created by assumingly the most evil being in the galaxy. Perhaps Meta Knight had done the right thing after all? The _incident_, was what he had been told then really going to happen?

A small whimper escaped Kirby and pulled Meta Knight out of his thoughts. Then he remembered the bottle with milk, waiting on the tray to feed the one it was brought there for. Meta Knight gently shifted his hold on Kirby before he reached for the bottle and held it to Kirby, who hungrily drank from it as soon as it reached his lips.

"Fear not, little one" Meta Knight chuckled at the baby's eagerness, "Your meal will not go anywhere. I´m sure there is more if you do not feel satisfied." He kept talking softly to Kirby, not really caring for a reply. Loneliness was something he was accustomed to. Sure, he had trained much against others of Nightmare's creations and he had even had meetings with Nightmare himself as he was being prepared for his mission. He had even heard Nightmare mention him being one of Nightmare's finest creations. But he had still been very lonely. The brainless monsters were not much company after all. Even here, at the Galaxy Soldier Army-base, he had felt lonely even with the occasional talks with Doctor Dee. The loneliness didn´t hurt him in any way, he was accustomed to it. But Kirby seemed to make him feel like he wasn´t alone in a way he couldn´t explain. Despite being unable of speech and even unable of really focusing on something, Kirby made Meta Knight feel like he was needed. Not as a solider, not as a tool to take over the galaxy with. No. Needed as a guardian, as a guide through the life, as someone Kirby could depend on.

Soon the bottle was emptied and placed back on the tray. Kirby almost seemed to purr with contentment as he snuggled into Meta Knight, satisfied and tired after his meal. Meta Knight instinctually cradled the baby, which rewarded him with a cute little yawn that could melt the coldest of hearts. A faint smile sneaked its way onto Meta Knight's lips once again as Kirby slowly closed his eyes and drifted back into his blissful sleep.

"I am sure that many hardships await us in the future. But don´t fret. I will protect you, little one. I promise."


	4. Chapter 3: Welcome to the army

**Author's note: Sorry that this took a little time, I have been busy and I also had some trouble with writing this chapter actually. Not much exciting things happen in this chapter but it was needed to be written. **

**I imagine Sir Arthur being a great man. He´s leading the GSA army after all! And you, who have played Kirby Super Star Ultra and True Arena in Kirby's Return to Dreamland/Kirby Adventure Wii, might recognize the magenta batamon. He will play a somewhat important role in this story. **

**And Dakonyo/Kit Cosmos will appear soon! I will go with the Japanese name of him, since I prefer the Japanese version of the anime. I hope it won´t get too confusing for you. I also described him a bit different from how he appeared in the anime, since this happened long time ago.**

**One last thing, I don´t know if I should change the rating of the story. There will be some violence since there´s a war going on in the story. So should I change the rating a little?**

**Disclaimer: I don´t own any of these characters.**

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**Chapter 3: Welcome to the army**

Sir Arthur was really a man unlike any other Meta Knight had seen before. Despite that Sir Arthur stood on the stage at one side of the enormous room and Meta Knight stood at the other side, he could still feel a great power radiating from the man. He could feel an aura of authority and wisdom surrounding the leader as he spoke to his soldiers. Sir Arthur was a green batamon and didn´t seem much taller than himself, but it was clear that every soldier in the room held great respect for their short yet glorious leader. The artificial lights of the room bounced of his golden armor and it made it look like Sir Arthur was glowing, which also seemed to intensify the power radiating him. He inspired respect in a completely different way than Nightmare; all of the dark emperor's creations feared that they would get destroyed if they didn't obey their master, while Sir Arthur could inspire his soldiers with only words to fight with all their might. Meta Knight considered himself lucky now for being able to see the leader of the Galaxy Soldier Army. He was grateful that he was granted with great sight; most of the soldiers in the room were taller than him and standing so far away from the stage didn´t help either.

Sir Arthur's speech consisted mostly of counting their latest triumphs and many encouraging words. As the speech went on, Meta Knight inspected the other ones standing behind Sir Arthur on the stage. There were several men and women standing there, of various species. He could recognize Sir Dragato standing next to three other batamons that he hadn´t seen before.

"May the stars watch over us and bring light to the darkness! We _will_ bring an end to Nightmare's terror!" Sir Arthur finished his speech and raised his fist into the air, which immediately was mimicked by all the soldiers and fierce battle cries rang out in the room. Soon after the soldiers started to leave the large room, many of them walking in groups and talking about their leader's speech. Soon there was only Meta Knight, Kirby who was sleeping in Meta Knight's arms, a few soldiers who were taking their time and the ones standing on the stage left. He could see that Sir Arthur and Sir Dragato as well as the other three batamons were conversing, probably about the speech just held. Meta Knight had intended to talk with Sir Dragato next time he saw him, but for some reason he didn´t really dared to do it now when Sir Arthur was near. Sir Arthur was still radiating such power despite not talking to all his soldiers anymore. But as he was just about to turn and walk away to wait for another opportunity to talk with him, Sir Dragato actually managed to spot him and recognize him despite the distance.

"Ah, it´s you! Meta Knight, was it?" Sir Dragato called out and beckoned to Meta Knight to come closer, who obeyed and somewhat timidly approached the stage. He hadn´t intended to get too much attention, being in a base filled with soldiers who could kill him in a flash if they found out about his true nature, but now it was too late. The other batamons as well as the other men and women on the stage all turned to Meta Knight as Sir Dragato acknowledged him.

"I was wondering if you were still in the base. I see that your wounds have been healed and your armor have been mended" Sir Dragato continued and nodded at Meta Knight, who was now wearing said armor as well as his sword. Sir Dragato had first been unsure if it was the same batamon he had spoken with a few days ago, but despite the distance he had been able to spot the bundle with the pink baby batamon in the bigger blue batamon's arms. Meta Knight nodded back at Sir Dragato, and then gave a slight bow.

"Yes. I´m very grateful for the hospitality you have showed us, sir" he replied honestly. They had been very lucky they had crashed nearby. If they had landed near a base of Nightmare or out in nowhere... they would have been doomed. The first few days of his recovery in the medical section of the base, he hadn´t thought they had been so lucky to crash near an enemy base of his former master. But now he was grateful for it.

"Nothing to thank us for, it was the least we could do. We cannot just leave an injured and a baby for such a fate" Sir Dragato replied with a hidden smile. This army wasn´t like Nightmare's, after all. He knew that if Nightmare's forces had found an injured and a baby like that they would have been slaughtered without a second thought.

"There is something I would like to speak with you about, as the commander of this base…" Meta Knight said carefully. He had planned to talk with talk with Sir Dragato in private, but now the great Sir Arthur and probably other high-ranked officers stood just a few meters away and he had a strange feeling of inferiority near them. His "natural" hate for these soldiers also flared up for second but he quickly disregarded it. He and Kirby would be so dead if he did something wrong now when they were so close to some of the greatest fighters in the Galaxy Soldier Army. "But it seems like you have more important matter to take care of at the moment, so I will return with my request at another time" he continued as he shot a glance towards Sir Arthur.

For some reason Meta Knight could barely look at him, even if Sir Arthur had started to quietly talk with another puffball. It was a magenta one with pure white armor and cape, red eyes glowing from his mask. Meta Knight only looked at the magenta batamon for a second, but at just that second the magenta batamon almost seemed to glare at the pink baby batamon in Meta Knight's arms. Meta Knight almost wondered if he had imagined it, for the next second the batamon directed his attention to Sir Arthur again as if he had just merely glanced at Meta Knight's and Kirby's direction. It confused Meta Knight that this soldier would cast such a glare towards Kirby, but he decided that he would ponder over that later.

"Hm, I believe I have a little time to hear your request now" Sir Dragato said and brought Meta Knight out of his thoughts. Meta Knight had intended to ask him why he had been so interested of them after they had crashed near the base, but that was a matter he really wished to talk about in privacy. Though it was something more he wanted to say.

"I wish to join this army to fight for the peace and freedom in the galaxy… Is that possible?" Meta Knight spoke after a minute, much quieter than he had intended. But Sir Dragato heard it clear enough. Another unseen smile appeared on the purple batamon's lips as he nodded to Meta Knight.

"I believe it´s possible. A noble choice… Is it for the little one?" he said and nodded again, this time towards the sleeping Kirby. Meta Knight's golden eyes lowered for a second to look at the baby before he looked at Sir Dragato again.

"Yes… but also because I wish to rid the galaxy of this great threat you fight against. Nightmare… has caused enough death and despair in everyone's life already" he replied softly. Sir Dragato nodded in agreement.

"Of course… However, no matter your reasons for joining the army, we need to put you through a test" Sir Dragato said. "Do not fear, it is not a very difficult test. It is to see where you fit the most. You need to find Sergeant Dakonyo for that. You can find him at the training area. Though, I recommend that you leave the little one at the nursing section first. A nurse in the medical section can surely help you with that" he continued before he gave Meta Knight the directions for the training area. Meta Knight thanked him for all the help, but just as he turned and was about to leave, his eyes met with Sir Arthur. He couldn´t see any hostility in the green batamon's purple-blue eyes, but he could feel the intensity of them. The leader didn´t say anything or even moved a muscle as they held each other's gaze. Meta Knight almost had to tear his gaze away. Such power this creature held within its small, spherical body. Sir Arthur's eyes landed on Kirby for a few moments when Meta Knight looked away before they returned to the magenta batamon he had talked to earlier. Meta Knight quickly left the stage as he didn´t wish to get into a staring contest with him again.

Just as Sir Dragato had instructed, Meta Knight gave Kirby to a nurse in the medical section who would take him to the nursing section before he went to the training area. After walk through what felt like the whole base he managed to find the training area. It was a very big and high room, the floor padded and the walls decorated with all kinds of weapons. There were also stashes with different weapons made of wood for practice standing near the walls. He could see soldiers spread over the room, some training against each other and some training against dummies. Meta Knight looked around; trying to locate the one he was looking for. The description of Sergeant Dakonyo only fitted one of the people in the room. He was a brown fur ball with bare arms and feet, a well-trimmed little dark brown mustache with grey streaks in it and a hat with a star on his head. At the moment Dakonyo was instructing a few soldiers on how to best disarm an enemy. Meta Knight cautiously approached them as Dakonyo finished speaking.

"And that is how to best disarm your enemy. Alright, now let's try this on each other" Sergeant Dakonyo instructed and watched as soldiers tried to follow his instructions. It was then he noticed the approaching Meta Knight. "Hm, I have not seen you here in the base before. Recently transferred here?" he asked when Meta Knight reached him.

"In fact, I am here for the test to join the army" Meta Knight replied. "I got instructed by Sir Dragato to come to you for that matter." Dakonyo nodded.

"That´s correct. So you want to join the army, hm?" he grunted and eyed Meta Knight. "You look like the warrior type. Then the test with be a light spar to see how skilled you are already. You will be using wood weapons to prevent any damage to your opponent. Got that?" Meta Knight agreed on it, so Dakonyo sent one of the soldiers he had been teaching to receive a wood sword for Meta Knight.

The spar was over rather quickly. One of the soldiers Dakonyo was teaching had been chosen to spar with Meta Knight and had been armed with a wood sword as well. With Dakonyo and some other soldiers as their judges and watchers, the soldier and Meta Knight clashed swords. Meta Knight hadn´t meant to be so hard towards the soldier. Despite the sword in his hand was made of wood, it had filled Meta Knight with such fighting will – almost blood thirst, but Meta Knight refused to admit it – to feel the familiar feeling of a sword in his hand. With just a few but rather hard slashed he had smacked the wood sword out of the solider's hand and was now pointing his own wood sword at the soldier's throat. A sudden urge to plunge the sword into the soldier's throat and see the blood pour out from the wound overcome Meta Knight, but he managed to fight it back before he made it reality.

"Alright, that´s enough" Dakonyo declared as the two fighters finished their spar. Meta Knight lowered his sword and turned to him as Dakonyo approached them, waiting to hear if he passed the test. "Well, you have strength and can handle a sword quite nice already. However… you lack technique and control. You almost looked like an enraged demon beast with those slashes!"

The part about him attacking like a demon beast almost caused Meta Knight to flinch. He managed to keep himself from flinching outwardly, but he did flinch on the inside. Did it really look like that? Was his origin showing in the way he fought? For a second he regretted his wish to join the army and he felt his body prepare for fight, but he forced himself to calm down. None of the soldiers seemed to judge him as one of Nightmare's creations and was ready to fight him, and none of them noticed the turmoil in Meta Knight's mind that hadn´t really lasted for longer than a second.

"You will get to work with that" Dakonyo continued, unaware of how his words had affected Meta Knight a few moments ago. But then he gave Meta Knight a small smile. "But welcome to the army!"


	5. Chapter 4: What prophecy?

**Author's note: Sorry it took so long for me to upload this; I have been busy with school and I have had no time to work on the story. Last year in school and all… Hopefully I will be able to write more in summer!**

**This chapter is a little short but I hope you´ll like it. It´s better than nothing, right?**

**Oh, and I want to say thank you for all the support! It means so much to me! I hope I´ll keep you satisfied with my little story.**

**Disclaimer: I don´t own any of these characters.**

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**Chapter 4: What prophecy?**

"_So you think you have escaped me? Are you really that foolish? Didn´t I make you smarter than that?!" A cold laughter filled the black void around him. Meta Knight wildly looked around to locate the source of the horrible sound, even if he knew it was in vain. Not even his white, glowing eyes or great sight could help him. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten here, but he was painfully aware of the presence near him. It could only have been one being. A being he once had called his master._

"_Ooh, but we can play your little game!" Nightmare laughed as he materialized in front of Meta Knight, the big entity's starry cape wrapped around him. The big size difference between them was somewhat intimidating, but Meta Knight refused to get scared by his former master so he sent a blood red glare at him which only caused Nightmare to laugh even more. "Instead of just taking you and the little one back immediately, I will let you play knight for a while. I will crush that puny little army you have joined until nothing is left! And then you will realize your mistake and come back to me, and together we will conquer the universe!" A skeleton-like hand appeared out from Nightmare's cape and closed around small body of Meta Knight. He struggled against the grip that became tighter and tighter, and soon he barely could breathe._

"_I won´t… give in to you!" he growled weakly as he struggled against his former master, the lack of air and the pain from being squished in the big entity's hand draining his energy. "Together with… the Galaxy Soldier… Army… I will defeat you! I won´t… let a… monster like you… destroy this galaxy!" His words made Nightmare laugh even more and his grip became so tight that Meta Knight couldn´t hold back a cry in pain._

"_A monster like me? Have you forgotten that you are at least as much as a monster as I am? Have you already suppressed what you are?!" Nightmare growled and his grip tightened again which earned him another pained cry from Meta Knight. "Deny it all you want, it won´t change what you_ truly_ are! I spent too many years and too much energy to create you, and you ungrateful little puff think you just escape me?! Together with my next big project?!" Suddenly the great entity smirked and opened up his hand enough for Meta Knight to see it. "What did you name him? Ah yes, Kirby. So his project name wasn´t good enough? No matter, I will get him back eventually and turn him into the demon beast he´s supposed to be."_

"_I won´t… let you have him! I have seen… his strength… his innocence! He will be your doom… I know that!" Meta Knight hissed as he took the opportunity to take a breath from the powerful squeeze of Nightmare's hand. "I will make sure… you won´t get him… no matter what happens to me!" His words only made Nightmare laugh and squeeze him again._

"_You really believe so? Mwahahaha! Oh, I will give you a chance. It will be so much more fun to watch you fail and have you crawl back to me than just snatch you back! You will realize that your little army is no match against me, and you will BEG me to take you back!" Nightmare sneered and squeezed Meta Knight so hard he was threatening to break the bones in the blue puffball's body. Meta Knight bravely fought to hold back the pained cries that wanted to escape him and he even bit his lip so hard it started to bleed as he struggled to not let Nightmare take any pleasure of his pain. With several loud snaps the delicate bones in his wings broke and Meta Knight couldn´t hold bake the pained cries any longer. But Nightmare wasn´t satisfied and only gritted his teeth in a cruel grin as he kept torturing Meta Knight for what felt like an eternity._

Meta Knight jolted awake with a gasp and quickly sat up, his heart beating so fast and hard he almost feared it would jump out of his chest. Wide-eyed he looked around in the small room he had been assigned after successfully joining the army - he was still in the GSA base and not the Nightmare's grasp. Since he was newly recruited he wasn´t ranked high enough to get his own room and his roommate, of a species unknown to him, was snoozing peacefully in the bed on the other side of the room and completely unaware that Meta Knight had just been tormented in a dream by Nightmare himself. Even if it had only been a dream, the pain in it felt so real his body almost was sore from the pain Nightmare had inflicted on him in the dream. A heavy and shaky sigh escaped the blue batamon. His heart was still hammering against his chest and he tried to calm it with some slow and deep breaths, but to no avail. Nightmare's cruel laugh and his words were still ringing in his ears together with the wild beating of his heart. Meta Knight needed some fresh air, he needed to get out.

As silently as he could Meta Knight put on his armor and tiptoed out of the room before he went towards one of the base's many exits to get himself some air. Since it was late at night he didn´t encounter many other soldiers except the ones having night watch, though he didn´t mind the lack of others wondering what he did up at this late hour. After some wandering and almost getting lost a few times Meta Knight eventually found an exit and after telling the guard that he just wanted some air he stepped out into the dark night. It wasn´t so cold since the base was located on a jungle planet, but it was still refreshing for him. He took a few deep breaths and felt how his heart slowly calmed down into its normal rhythm. As he enjoyed the fresh air he let his thoughts wander to the dream he just had.

"So now he knows that we have escaped him…" he sighed quietly for himself before he looked up to see if he could see any stars, but the high trees and thick tree crowns made him unable to see them from where he stood. "So he will not take me and Kirby back by force? That will be his biggest mistake… I will not give in and go back to him no matter if the Galaxy Soldier Army win or lose!" A low growl escaped him but he quickly quieted down as he remembered that a guard was standing not far from him. Meta Knight stayed outside for a few more minutes before he had to go back to his room to try and get some more sleep before tomorrow when his training to become a real soldier began.

As Meta Knight walked down the corridor on his way back to his room a familiar batamon came walking in his direction. It was the magenta batamon he had seen next to Sir Arthur during his speech, the magenta batamon that had glared at Kirby for some unknown reason. Meta Knight was going to ignore him and tried to walk by, but the magenta batamon suddenly grabbed him and pressed him against the wall with a fierce look in his red eyes. At first Meta Knight was stunned over the suddenness but quickly recovered and struggled against the magenta batamon's surprisingly strong grip.

"You should take the little pinky and leave, I am the one in the prophecy and I won´t let you or the pinky destroy it for me!" he growled quietly to him before he let go of Meta Knight and kept wandering down the corridor like nothing had happened. Meta Knight only stared after the magenta batamon until he took a turn and disappeared from view.

'_What was that about? What prophecy?_' he thought puzzled as he gathered himself and kept walking towards his room. '_Who is that batamon? I have to talk with Sir Dragato tomorrow, maybe he can answer me_'. But just as he reached his room and put his hand on the handle, a shiver went down his spine. _'Pinky… Wait, he must have been talking about Kirby!'_ Without thinking he suddenly sprinted as fast as his small feet could carry him to the medical section of the base where Kirby was kept. He almost burst into the room but fortunately managed to catch himself before he much more calmly opened the door to Kirby's little room. A wave of relief washed over him as he saw Kirby sleeping peacefully in his bed, completely snuggled up in a warm blanket. He wore a smile on his face and Meta Knight couldn´t stop himself from smiling slightly himself at the cute baby. Quietly he walked over to the bed and adjusted the blanket somewhat to make sure Kirby was comfortable, which earned him a little content coo from the pink baby.

After watching Kirby sleep for a few minutes Meta Knight almost felt a bit embarrassed. He didn´t know what had gotten over him, he just felt he needed to make sure Kirby was fine. But the words of the magenta batamon and the fire in his red eyes unnerved him for some reason. He really had to ask Sir Dragato next time he saw him. Did he really mean that Meta Knight should take Kirby and leave? Why? And what would happen if they didn´t?


	6. Chapter 5: Child of the Prophecy

**Author's note: Once again, sorry for the late update! I´m busy with school since it´s my last year and all… and I think I have a small artist's block. But finally I managed to write this! I hope it´s not too rushed or confusing. This is my first fanfiction after all and even if I have written stories before they often tend to be rather short. This is the longest story I have ever written. *so proud of myself* I just hope I won´t disappoint you somehow, my dear readers.**

**Oh, and of course I want to thank you all for the lovely reviews. They make my day and really encourage me to write more~ 3**

**Disclaimer: I don´t own ****any of these characters.**

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**Chapter 5: Child of the Prophecy**

Meta Knight was completely exhausted; his body ached and his eyes felt heavy. '_I had no idea the training would be this hard_…' he thought for himself as he rested on his bed. He was alone in there, as his roommate was out on guard duty. He had been in the army for a few weeks now and each day was filled with harsh training. Most times it had been Sergeant Dakonyo who had looked over his training and, despite that Meta Knight still was fighting somewhat like a demon beast in Dakonyo's opinion, he thought that Meta Knight had made great process. "You are soon ready for real battle, lad!" had Dakonyo told him after the training that day. If someone asked him he already knew how to fight, but he knew he had to fight "properly" in case someone would question his origins. He had to hide any evidence of what he really was even if it meant he would have to go through harsh training.

Something else that had been on his mind was the meeting with the magenta batamon. Meta Knight still didn´t know who he was or why he seemed so aggressive towards Meta Knight and Kirby. It had made Meta Knight worried and every day he had visited Kirby to make sure everything was alright. The pink little baby slept almost all the time, which seemed to confound the nurses and doctors of the medical section, but Meta Knight was not too worried about it. He knew Kirby wasn´t complete yet and sleeping must be his way of "keep building" on himself. So Meta Knight's guess was that Kirby would stop sleeping so much the more complete he became. But still, the threat of that magenta batamon was more worrying than Kirby's strange sleeping schedule.

"Oi, Meta Knight!" a voice suddenly called out from the now open door and it broke Meta Knight's chain of thoughts. He sat up in his bed to see his roommate standing there, whom he still didn´t know the name or species of. "Sir Dragato wanna talk with ya. Ya better hurry!" the roommate continued to speak before he went over to his bed on the opposite wall of Meta Knight's and sat down on it with a tired "humph". Meta Knight hurriedly, though also a bit stiffly thanks to all the training the past few days, got off his bed and went to the commander's office. '_What could he want from me?_' he wondered for himself before he reached the door and knocked on it. He heard shuffling of paper on the other side before the voice of Dragato called him to come in. Meta Knight slowly opened the door and closed it behind him, and then he looked around the office to take in his surroundings. He had never been in Sir Dragato's office before so he wanted to take the opportunity to look around. The walls over the office was either covered different weapons or photographs or big shelves filled with books, and in the middle of the room was a big desk where Dragato stood and seemed to be looking over some papers. He looked up from the paper on the table and gestured for Meta Knight to come closer.

"I see the training is as harsh as usual. Sergeant Dakonyo has been here for a long time and I also once trained under him, so I know what you are going through. Still, you cannot find a so passionate trainer and soldier like him so easily" he said as he noticed how tired and stiff Meta Knight looked, and there was an amused glint in his eyes. Even if he was wearing his mask Meta Knight could have sworn he was smiling underneath. "Don´t worry, soon enough you will be so strong that his training will be a brief."

"Yes sir, the training has been a little… harsh. But I trust you didn´t call me here to discuss how harsh the training is?" Meta Knight asked and glanced at the papers that Dragato had just gathered up in his hands. He nodded before he gathered up the papers to put them in a drawer and slowly closed it.

"I called you here for a reason, yes. You see, we have recently received a warning that one of our bases on planet Sandara will be attacked by Nightmare's forces soon. And it is most important that Nightmare doesn´t take over that base since that is where we mine certain minerals we use for our weapons and other steelworks. If they take over it we don´t only lose one of our resources for making our weapons, he will take it to make his own army stronger! You understand the grievousness of this situation, don´t you?" Dragato asked him, to which Meta Knight responded with a nod. "Of course you understand. So why do I tell you this? I have been given the recommendation of sending you there. Dakonyo said that even if you have a long way to go you are still very skilled and would most certainly do well in a real battle. But I cannot just send a new recruit into a battle like this. I want to hear your opinion first. So what do you say, are you ready for real battle?"

This of course surprised Meta Knight; he hadn´t expected to be thrown into a fight to quickly. But he understood that this base was very important for the GSA and they needed everyone they could find to protect the important resources located there. He didn´t doubt his ability to fight either, he was certain he would do well in a battle against demon beasts. But there was something else he worried about. "I certainly understand that we need to protect this base and I´m willing to do it. It is just one thing I worry about… What will happen to Kirby while I am on planet Sandara?"

"Ah yes, Kirby… He will be moved to a different location. But do not fret, he will be safe. We have a special base where we keep children and other people who have been or are affected by this war. Families of some of our warriors live there and other families who we have saved from attacked planets live there. Nightmare is completely unaware of this base as we keep it very secret and the planet it is hidden on is a very faraway place. You cannot find it unless you know the way. So you will not have to worry about little Kirby while you are out fighting. So what do you say now?"

Meta Knight closed his eyes and thought it over for a minute. Sending Kirby to this special base meant he wouldn´t be able to look after him like he preferred to do, but Kirby would be safe and the base on Sandara really needed to be protected. He suppressed a small sigh before he opened his eyes and looked at Dragato. "Alright. As long as Kirby will be kept safe, I will go to planet Sandara" he said at last. Dragato was obviously relieved to hear that and held out his hand.

"A good decision. The ship to Sandara will depart in three days" Dragato said as they shook hands. "You should use the time to train, but perhaps it wouldn´t hurt if you spend the a little time with that baby too since it will be a while before you see each other again. Just don´t neglect your training completely." Meta Knight assured him that he wouldn´t neglect his training, and he was happy Dragato actually let him get away with spending some time with Kirby. Not every soldier had that privilege after all. Dragato told him that he was dismissed and allowed to leave, but before Meta Knight left the office he suddenly remembered something.

"Sir, can I ask you a question regarding a certain solider?" Meta Knight asked carefully, not sure if he was allowed to pry about this. The soldier he had in mind seemed to be a quite high ranked person after all. Dragato gestured him to continue. "There is a magenta batamon with pure white armor I have seen here a few times. May I ask who he is?"

"Ah, right. You are quite new here so of course you don´t know who he is. You must be talking about Galacta. He is Sir Arthur's little 'protégé'" Dragato said and shook his head. "Arrogant and spoiled, but he is unbelievably strong. The army believes that he is the one in the prophecy." That last sentence caught Meta Knight's attention.

"Prophecy? What prophecy? Galacta said something about a prophecy when I encountered him once and he said he was the one in it… Can you tell me about the prophecy?" Meta Knight asked, eager to know what that batamon had talked about. Perhaps it would explain why Galacta was so aggressive towards them. Dragato seemed to think for a few moments before he answered.

"Well, I can´t remember the whole thing, but I know the most important parts. There is a prophecy that a pink child will be taken under a mighty warrior's wing and this child will be the end of Nightmare" Dragato explained at last. "Galacta was found when he was a child by the GSA. His home village had been attacked by demon beasts and there was nearly nothing left of it when the army reached it. And all but him had been killed. Though he was close to death too. He had a big fang from an unidentified demon beast in his back that seemed to be filled with some sort of strange venom, but what it was never became discovered. The venom inside him just disappeared. Anyway, the child was taken in by the army. Then someone thought that perhaps this child was the one of the prophecy, probably only because he was a shade of pink and was a child, so Sir Arthur decided to take him in and started to train him in case he really was the child in the prophecy. And since he´s so strong now everyone seems to think that he is the one. That is pretty much it."

Meta Knight listened carefully as Dragato told him about the prophecy and Galacta. Now he finally understood why Galacta had been so aggressive towards him and Kirby; he thought they were threatening his position as the one in the prophecy! It all made sense. '_I had no idea there was a prophecy like that… So what happened back then, was it really true what I saw? Is Kirby really the last hope for the galaxy?_' he thought for himself. His thoughts were interrupted by Dragato's voice.

"Now you know. It is not really a secret; I bet all soldiers know of this. Well, if there wasn´t anything more you wanted, you can leave now. I have important paperwork to do" Dragato said, and Meta Knight left after he thanked him for the information. Deep in thought Meta Knight started to walk, unaware that he walked in the direction of the medical section. The prophecy must have been about Kirby. He was almost completely sure of that. But one thing he really wondered about was the part of the child being taken under a mighty warrior's wing. Could it be himself the prophecy spoke of? Was he the mighty warrior? Meta Knight shook his head. It couldn´t be him, he was strong but he wasn´t all that mighty.

He was so deep in thought he almost walked into a door. Just as he managed to stop himself he realized he was standing outside the little room Kirby was kept in. He hadn´t really planned to go there but he shrugged and went inside, he wouldn´t get to see Kirby in a while so he should take the opportunity to spend some time with the pink baby. Kirby was sleeping in his crib like usually, looking peaceful and a small drop of drool was threatening to fall from the corner of his mouth. Meta Knight's eyes softened at the sight of the adorable batamon. "Seems like we have to go different ways soon, Kirby" he said quietly while he took the corner of Kirby's blanket to gently wipe away the drool. The baby only slept on peacefully, unaware of the elder batamon next to him. "Though it seems like you won´t miss me that much. I hope they will keep you safe, wherever they take you. I don´t know if you are the child of the prophecy or not… but I know you have to live on." Meta Knight gently patted the sleeping baby on the head and was just about to turn to leave when he felt something grab onto his gloved hand. When he looked at Kirby again he saw that the baby was holding onto his hand, in a surprisingly strong grip too. The infant was cooing softly and smiling in his sleep as if he was having a nice dream, and Meta Knight felt how his heart melted at the sight. It would be difficult but he really had to leave Kirby behind if he was going to fight in this war. A soft sigh escaped him before he, as carefully as possible, got his hand out of the baby's grip. He looked one last time at Kirby before he left the room, heading towards his own room. '_I´m getting too attached to him… and that can be used against me. I have to focus on this war now. Though… I still need to keep an eye on him. What if Galacta would try to do something against him?_' he pondered in his mind.

He let out a frustrated sigh when his thoughts didn´t lead to anything useable and he opened the door to his shared room. His roommate was asleep on his side of the room so Meta Knight was left for himself, and he lay down on the bed with another frustrated sigh. He still didn´t know what to do about Kirby, but soon he figured out it wouldn´t matter. He would be sent to Sandara and Kirby would be sent to the secret base. But despite being assured that the base was as safe as it could be, for some reason he couldn´t shake off the feeling that something bad would happen if Kirby was taken there. Meta Knight shook his head. What bad could happen then? Kirby would be safe and Meta Knight would be able to fully focus on the war without worrying for the baby's safety.

Eventually too much thinking and harsh training made it impossible for Meta Knight to keep his eyes open anymore and it didn´t take long before he was asleep. But even if his sleep was quite much peaceful that night, the next day he could almost swear that he had heard a way too familiar evil laugh echo in the back of his mind during his sleep.


	7. Chapter 6: Off to Sandara

**Author's note: Oops, I thought I already had uploaded this chapter. My mistake… ^^; I hope you like it and that it was worth the wait! A bit more of fluff between Kirby and Meta Knight before it is finally time for them to part. And a character appears that some of you might recognize if you have seen the anime!**

**Disclaimer: I don´t own any of these characters.**

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**Chapter 6: Off to Sandara**

Those three days until the departure to planet Sandara went past faster than Meta Knight thought they would. Most of his days had been spend training hard, but he had been able to spend some time with Kirby. He had seen no sight for Galacta those days and it was a relief, but he still couldn´t shake off the feeling of something bad would happen. But he did his best to put that thought away; he had to concentrate as much as he could on the training and the little distraction he could afford went to watching over the baby batamon. Kirby still did nothing else but sleep and eat so it was quite much the same every time Meta Knight went to see him. Meta Knight would watch him for a short while, make sure the baby was comfortable and then he would leave the room again. The last two days' visits had been the same as the others, but today Meta Knight stayed longer at the pink baby's crib.

It was about two hours left until the ship would depart and Meta Knight had to board the ship soon, but he could not help but stay a little longer by Kirby's side and watch him sleep peacefully as if nothing was wrong in the world. He knew he had to leave soon, but he had trouble parting from the little batamon. A soft sigh escaped him. Despite the little interaction they had have, that even was not really real interaction since Kirby had only slept with exception of the one time he had actually awoken for a short moment, Meta Knight had grown more attached the him than he had intended. He knew he had to protect him, but there was something, some sort of feeling he had, which made him _want_ to protect him. He couldn´t explain the feeling at all. The bigger blue batamon's eyes turned back to being golden, as they recently had been green in thought, and landed on the smaller pink batamon.

"I have to leave soon, Kirby. And I do not know when we will see each other again…" Meta Knight started quietly while adjusting Kirby's blanket. "… But rest assured that we **will** see each other again. As soon as things calm down for a while and when I got permission, I will come to that secret base. So keep on growing while I am away." He knew Kirby wouldn´t answer him, or respond somehow at all, but he didn´t really care. It felt good to talk with the little baby. And he wouldn´t be able to see Kirby for who knows how long, so a proper good-bye felt righteous. Meta Knight took a last look at him before he ever so gently patted him on the head and turned to walk out of the room. But just as Meta Knight placed his gloved hand on the handle of the door, a soft sound drifted over to him from the crib.

"Poy…?" it sounded like. Meta Knight turned back to the crib to see two big, blue eyes looking at him. Kirby was awake! Meta Knight went back to the crib and stared down at the little baby, who was trying to focus his gaze on the bigger batamon. He didn´t seem to have much luck with it, but for some reason Meta Knight was certain Kirby was well aware of his presence despite not being able to see him well. He stared back into those deep blue eyes. Despite Kirby's origin, there was no hint of evil in those eyes. And the eyes are the mirror of one's soul after all. Kirby was pure. Untainted by Nightmare's evil. Unlike the other batamon in that room. Meta Knight was relieved to see that he had taken Kirby away at the right time. If he had waited for too long to escape, then maybe Nightmare would have tainted Kirby with the darkness which would eventually turn him into the ultimate demon beast as he grew more complete. Meta Knight knew it would take many, many years until the baby would be complete, but by then GSA would most certainly have little chance to succeed in this war if they had to fight against Kirby along with other demon beasts.

Another little coo from the baby brought Meta Knight out of his thoughts to focus his golden eyes on Kirby again. The pink little batamon held up his arms towards the bigger blue batamon and smiled cutely all the while, which caused Meta Knight's heart to melt. He knew he didn´t had much time before he had to go and he knew he shouldn´t get attached to the little one, but he couldn´t stop himself from picking the baby up in the most gentle way and cradle him in his arms.

"Alright, just for a moment won´t hurt" Meta Knight mumbled as he cradled the baby who looked up at him with his innocent blue eyes. Kirby still couldn´t focus his eyes and everything in his vision was blurry, but those yellow eyes of the one who held him seemed to be clearest. Slowly the baby raised a nubby hand to touch the golden orbs but they were out of reach. A small smile crept onto Meta Knight's lips as Kirby waved his small arms and cooed. "Quite some energy you got there for being so little. I know you will grow up to be a great warrior one day, and I hope I will be there to see it. But for now you should concentrate on growing. If you are the one in the prophecy then you really are the last hope for the galaxy and you need to grow strong to fulfill your role. I fear I have to leave you now, but we will see each other again." Carefully Meta Knight put him down in the crib again and tucked the blanket tightly around him to ensure he was warm and cozy. Kirby looked up at him with a confused expression, probably wondering why he was put down already. "I´m sorry, little one, but I have to go now. May the stars watch over you until we met again…" With that said, Meta Knight took one last glance at Kirby before he left the room. Kirby had a look on confusion on his face. He didn´t understand why he was being left alone. Especially by this one whose presence he had grown used to. A whimper escaped the baby, which was heard by the blue batamon who had just left the room. It took Meta Knight quite some willpower to not go back to Kirby.

The hangar was buzzing with activity when Meta Knight arrived. Lots of warriors were boarding the ships and others were working on the ships to make sure they would arrive safely to their destination, and as Meta Knight had a rather small stature he easily pulled with the stream of soldiers heading towards the ships. Before he knew it he was suddenly on one of those ships, in wait for departing. As they were to travel with warp speed to Sandara they had not been assigned rooms, but seats so no one would get hurt in the sudden stop that often came with warp speed travels. Meta Knight had already experienced it once and he didn´t want to do it again. Unlike the most other warriors, who stood together in small groups and conversed before it was time to go, Meta Knight went straight to his seat. After securing his weapon so it wouldn´t get loose and hurt someone by accident he sat down and stared ahead, his thoughts elsewhere. But his thoughts were soon brought back as a voice next to him suddenly spoke.

"Hey, I recognize you! You were the one who had crashed near the base!" the voice said and Meta Knight turned to look at the source. He had been so deep in thought he hadn´t noticed a young man had taken the seat next to him. The young man had just secured his weapon and a small bag, probably with personal belongings, and was now concentrating on the blue batamon. "I wasn´t really there when you crashed, but I was there when you had that test with Sergeant Dakonyo! You sure are strong!" the man continued excitedly before he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile and then held out his hand. "Where are my manners? My name's Jecra." Meta Knight eyed the man for a few seconds before he shook his hand. The young man, Jecra, was of a species unknown to Meta Knight. He seemed to be younger than him despite being taller than Meta Knight. He wore greyish dark blue armor with a green cape, and he held a mask in one hand. His hair was blond and messy, and his dark eyes had a positive glint in them. And it was impossible to miss the big smile on the young man's face.

"My name is Meta Knight" he said as he shook Jecra's hand. He was quite sure he recognized him. Who wouldn´t recognize that messy hair of his? After the handshake Jecra secured his mask and took the seat next to Meta Knight, and it was obvious that he was resolved to keep talking to him. Meta Knight sighed inwardly; he wasn´t interested in some small talk. But then he suddenly thought of something. If Jecra was one of those newbies who had been there when Meta Knight had that test, why was he there on the ship to Sandara? Only veterans or new recruits who were good enough were taken there for the moment. And this young man didn´t look much like a strong warrior. But who was Meta Knight to judge someone by appearance.

"Nice to meet you, Meta Knight! Aren´t it an honor to be able to go to Sandara even if we are just newly recruited? Sir Dragato was unsure if he really should allow me to go, but Sergeant Dakonyo assured him that I was good enough. From what I have heard it is only you and me of the new recruits from this base who was allowed to go to Sandara!" Jecra chattered on excitedly. Meta Knight couldn´t help but feel a little irritated. Did he think this was only a game? Meta Knight shook his head inwardly at this young fool. He wouldn´t last long in battle if he thought that way. It actually made Meta Knight question Dakonyo's decision about them both. He knew he himself was strong and competent in battle, but what about Jecra? Either Jecra was stronger than he looked like, or Dakonyo had a strange opinion of what "strong" is.

"You´re not very talkative, are you? Well, it´s alright and I respect that" Jecra said when he finally noticed that Meta Knight didn´t seem interested in small talk. "I know all this war and fighting are serious things, but I believe that a positive perspective will make it better. I know we can win this! And it will be an honor to fight with so many strong and amazing warriors, you included. Just wanted to say that." Finally Jecra stopped to talk, for which Meta Knight was grateful. But those last words said by the younger warrior seemed to give Meta Knight a somewhat better opinion of him. At least he didn´t seem to think everything was a game and he seemed to know respect. Shortly after a loud signal was heard that indicated that it was time to take seats as they were about to leave. 'Finally…' Meta Knight thought. He just wanted to go to Sandara as soon as possible. He secretly was a bit nervous but he would never admit it, even for himself. It was not the case that he didn´t think he was capable of fighting or that he was afraid of the demon beasts. No, his biggest concerns were two things; that he would reveal his secret by mistake or by force, and that he wouldn´t be able to protect Kirby when they were so far away. Even if he hated it, a part of him was actually looking forward to the battle. Being able to slice opponents open with his sword and see how the blood slowly poured out of the wound down to pool on the ground around the corpse… Meta Knight was disgusted with himself. Even if his origins were hidden on the outside, the traces of them were well visibly in his mind. He only hoped he would be able to get rid of those horrible traits of his as he stayed longer with the GSA.

Not a second too early, all warriors had finally secured all their belongings and had taken their seats. Another signal sounded to indicating it was time to depart. As the engines of the ship roared to live Meta knight ensured he was properly secured to his seat since he didn´t want to get knocked unconscious again by warp speed. All warriors were no quiet; the only sounds were from the engines as the ship lifted. Everyone finally seemed to focus on the task at hand. Even Jecra looked serious. Just after the ship slowly flew out of the hangar, out of the dense jungle surrounding the base and just before the ship speeded away, Meta Knight's eyes flashed green and then red for a second. 'I will not let you win, Nightmare. Heed my words!'

* * *

**Author's note: So it was Jecra who appeared! I hadn´t really planned to threw him in yet but he kinda sneaked in anyway. I decided to go with the fan name for Knuckle Joe's dad.**

**He is newly recruited and quite young here so that´s why he appears different than in the anime and Knuckle Joe is far from planned at the moment. I see Jecra as a young, positive man who is much stronger than you might think. Since both he and Meta Knight just joined the army, none of them have received a star yet (but they will soon) and they have yet to receive the "Sir" title.**


End file.
